Arts Notes: July 29, 2012

LEWISBURG, W.Va. -- As part of the Lewisburg Literary Festival on Aug. 3 and 4, the public is invited to stroll through downtown and discover several creative art and literature installations.

In the City Greenspace, there'll be a Yarn Bombing, which is a 3-D canvas, from knitted tree trunks to a knitted statue, from a knitted bicycle to the knitted fence, while reading the accompanying short story by local author Belinda Anderson.

In City Hall, the Literary Laundry Room contains an uncharacteristic photo exhibit that invites the public to become the authors. The room is filled with 8-by-10 photos hung on clotheslines to view. If viewers are inspired by a photograph, they are encouraged to write a short story or poem about the image on the spot. The story will be attached to the photograph with clothespins for others to read.

"Wally, The Wall Walker," created by local sculptor Mark Blumenstein, will show up throughout downtown. Greg Johnson has written a story about where Wally is from and how he found his way to Lewisburg.

Charleston artist Mark Tobin Moore has mixed-media installation in the Greenbrier Valley Visitors Bureau. The story, displayed next to the art piece, tells about the "Navigator" pictured and the elements surrounding his image.

Standing guard on Washington Street will be a 7-foot-tall pirate skeleton. Josh Baldwin tells how the pirate, after years on the sea with his comrades, finds himself alone.

A film short produced by local filmmaker Russell Williams will feature many people from different walks of life reading their favorite first lines from books.

Displayed in the window of Cooper Gallery is a landscape painting by artist Lynn Boggess. Local poet Tim Armentrout wrote a poem and it will be displayed alongside the painting.

In town, an "Intergalactic Bounty Hunter," a mixed-media sculpture, made of vacuum cleaner parts, helmets, pressure washer parts, gadgets, odds and ends, created by Eddie Booze, chases escaped aliens. Local writer Eric Fritzius tells this imaginative story, displayed with the sculpture for the public to read.

For updates on the festival, visit the festival website at www.lewisburgliteraryfestival.com. Information is also available at 800-833-2068 or on Facebook as a friend of the Lewisburg Literary Festival.

9/11 survivor to speak

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. -- Michael Hingson, New York Times best-selling author and survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, will address the National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia convention Aug. 1-5 at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Barboursville.

Hingson recounted his experience in his book "Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero."

When the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001, Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, were on the 78th floor of Tower One. They were able to make their way to safety and survive the attack.

In addition to speaking at the convention, Hingson will share his story during public presentations at the Cabell County Public Library in downtown Huntington and at the Culture Center in Charleston. The West Virginia Library Commission and the Department of Education and the Arts will sponsor Hingson at 3 and 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Culture Center.

Oil and gas exhibit

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is showing a new exhibit, "The Oil and Gas Industry: West Virginia's Gift to the World," at the Culture Center.

The exhibit honoring West Virginia's leading role in the country's oil and gas industry will feature "visible" gasoline pumps with clear glass cylinders, antique oil drums and "yellow dog" lanterns, so named because their two burning wicks resemble a dog's glowing eyes at night.

Other items on display will include a vintage Pennzoil gas station sign, wooden and glass oilcans, drilling tools and a double-piston oil pump, all from the collections of the West Virginia State Museum, the State Archives, the Oil and Gas Museum in Parkersburg, and Columbia Gas.

Admission is free. For information, contact Charles Morris at 304-558-0220.

To have your announcement included in Arts Notes, email sara.busse@wvgazette.com or send it to Arts Notes, The Charleston Gazette, 1001 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301. Artwork can be submitted electronically or by mail. Deadline for inclusion in the Sunday Gazette-Mail is the Tuesday before Sunday publication.